Edward Becerra wrote:

At 10:35 AM 8/2/99 -0400, Brendan wrote:

On Mon, 02 Aug 1999, "Julian Fong" <fong_jh@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

Something seems very familiar about this situation, but I can't put
my finger on it.  Maybe it's the old Looney Tunes short with Bugs
Bunny and Elmer getting the hats dropped on their heads, or an old
thread on r.a.a about what you'd do if you could use Hime-chan's
ribbon... anyway, it reminds me of something, but I don't remember
what.

      In the second season Buffy the Vampire Slayer Halloeen special,
Guile's old "friend" Ethan opened a costume shop, then cast a spell
causing everyone to turn into whatever their costume was.  Ex, Xander
picked up a prop gun, and turned into a hardboiled mercenary.
      I'm prety sure there've been plenty of other examples, but
that's the one that sticks in my mind.

        Well, I didn't want to bring this up in public, and was going
to email Kenjiko about it privately, but this plot is ALSO the core
idea of a piece of internet fiction (NOT fanfic, but an original story)
entitled "No More Fakes", by Louis Epstein.

That story idea is so common as to be unremarkable.  Other variations on it
include the roleplaying or computer game that becomes real, the paint 
pellet game that has people with real guns, the vampire cloak that turns 
you into a vampire, and of course the many different cultures where people put
on animal skins in order to become the animal in question.